Riverbend Events needs a event website and email templates. Here’s how we understand the goal.
02
Our approach
Kick-off → First draft → Revisions → Delivery.
03
Investment
$2,309.00 in total, split across 4 phases.
04
Next steps
Sign to accept, pay the deposit and we’ll book the kickoff.
How to write a freelance proposal
A good freelance proposal is about the client, not you. It shows you understand their situation, proposes a specific way forward and makes the price and next step easy to find. Freelancers price by project, day or hour. Fixed project fees with an hourly rate for extras are the most common.
Open with their situation, using the words they used on your call.
Make objectives measurable where you can, so success is shared.
Explain your approach by phase — for freelancers, typically kick-off, first draft, revisions, delivery.
Break the price down so the client can trade scope rather than question your rate.
Say what’s not included, such as work not listed in the agreement.
End with one clear next step and a validity date.
The template
Cover
Proposal: [Project name] for [Client]
Prepared by: [Your name, business]
Date: [Date]
Valid until: [Date]
1. Your situation
[In the client’s words: where they are now, what they want to achieve and why now.]
2. Objectives
[Objective, ideally measurable]
[Objective]
[Objective]
3. Our approach
Kick-off: [What happens and what the client sees]
First draft: [What happens and what the client sees]
Revisions: [What happens and what the client sees]
Delivery: [What happens and what the client sees]
4. Deliverables
[The agreed project deliverables]
[Source files on final payment]
5. Timeline
Phase
Dates
Client input needed
Kick-off
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
First draft
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Revisions
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
Delivery
[Dates]
[Input or approval]
6. Investment
Item
Description
Fee
Project work
[Agreed deliverables, phase 1]
[Fee]
Additional hours
[Changes requested 4–8 May]
[Fee]
Software licence
[Template purchased for the project, at cost]
[Fee]
Total: [Amount, excluding tax]
Payment schedule: [e.g. 40% to start, 30% at milestone, 30% on completion]
7. Not included
[Work not listed in the agreement]
[Third-party costs unless listed]
8. What we need from you
[Information and materials by agreed dates]
[Timely feedback]
9. Why us
[Two or three sentences and one relevant example or result. Keep it about the client’s problem.]
10. Next steps
[Sign below or reply to accept]
[Pay the deposit]
[Kickoff on date]
Accepted by: [Name, title]
Signature: [Signature]
Date: [Date]
How to fill it in
Write the client’s situation and goals in their own words, from your discovery call.
Turn goals into two or three objectives you can both recognise as success.
Set out your approach by phase and the deliverables at each step, such as “The agreed project deliverables”.
Add a timeline that shows where you need the client’s input or approval.
Price the work by item or phase, with a payment schedule.
List exclusions and what you need from the client, then add a clear way to accept.
Use it in Word, Google Docs or PDF
Microsoft Word
Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.
Google Docs
Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.
PDF
Use Print or save as PDF in the template section above to print just the template, or fill it in Word or Google Docs first and export it (File → Save As → PDF in Word, File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs).
Example: Sam Okafor’s proposal for Riverbend Events
Key sections from a proposal for a event website and email templates. Both companies are fictional.
Your situation
Riverbend Events wants a event website and email templates. You told us the priority is getting it right first time, with clear approvals and no surprises on cost.
Our approach
Kick-off: The agreed project deliverables
First draft: Source files on final payment
Revisions
Delivery
Investment
Item
Description
Qty / time
Rate
Amount
Project work
Agreed deliverables, phase 1
Fixed fee
$1,800.00
$1,800.00
Additional hours
Changes requested 4–8 May
6 hours
$75.00
$450.00
Software licence
Template purchased for the project, at cost
1 item
$59.00
$59.00
Total: $2,309.00 excluding tax
What we need from you
Information and materials by agreed dates
Timely feedback
Proposal mistakes that lose work
Starting with your history. The client cares about their problem first; your credentials belong near the end.
A template that reads like one. Replace every generic sentence with something specific to this client.
Hiding the price. If they can’t find it, they can’t say yes.
Vague deliverables. Specific deliverables make the proposal easier to approve and the project easier to run.
No follow-up. Agree when you’ll check in before you send it.
Angelwood’s proposal software builds proposals and agreements from your own templates, shows when the client has opened them and collects e-signatures, with a countersignature to execute the agreement.
Open with the client’s situation and goal in their own words. For a event website and email templates, that means the outcome they want, not the services you sell. It proves you listened before you start selling.
02
Make scope easy to approve.
List deliverables and exclusions plainly. For freelancers, the usual disputes start with work not listed in the agreement.
03
One clear next step.
End with how to accept, the deposit and the kickoff date. A proposal that ends with “let us know” waits in an inbox.
How do I write a freelance proposal that wins work?+
Lead with the client’s problem and the outcome they want, then your approach, deliverables, timeline and price. Keep it specific to them and short enough to read in five minutes.
How long should a proposal be?+
As short as it can be while still defining the work. For most service projects, three to eight pages is enough. The client should be able to find the scope, price and next step in under a minute.
Should I put the price in a proposal?+
Yes. A proposal without a price can’t be accepted. Present it after the approach and value, broken into items or phases, and consider offering two or three options.
What’s the difference between a proposal and a contract?+
A proposal sells the work and sets out scope and price. A contract sets the legal terms. Many firms send a proposal that, once signed, incorporates their terms, or follow it with a separate agreement.
Can I edit this template in Word or Google Docs?+
Yes. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it in Microsoft Word, or upload it to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. There’s also a Markdown version for any text editor. No account or email address is needed.
How do I save it as a PDF?+
Fill it in, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs. On this page you can also print just the template or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print dialog.